Autumn Breeze Brings Change
by Victoria Hughes
Summary: [Indefinite Hiatus] A year after the ZLF was dismantled and thought destroyed, strange people seem to be after Uriko ... but Kenji can protect her, right? It's his worst fear brought to life. Keniko and Yulice pairings.
1. There's Trouble Afoot

**_Autumn Breeze Brings Change_**

By Vikki

Disclaimer: Heaven only knows how badly I wish I owned Uriko Nonomura, let alone Kenji Oogami.  But, unfortunately, I don't … Raizing and Hudson own all Bloody Roar characters and transformations thereof.  Please don't sue me.

Author's Notes:  I'm an American fangirl, but I'm pretty stuck on Japanese … I use a few – _very_ few – Japanese phrases/words here and there.  Since they shouldn't take away from the experience of the story, I'll translate even the most basic of words at the bottom of each chapter.  The characters retain their American names for the most part … some spellings have changed, such as 'Ohgami' became 'Oogami', and 'Shen Long' became 'Xien Long' (which is the closest to the proper Chinese Romanization as I could seem to find).

SPOILERS for Bloody Roar 2!  Keniko pairing!  Yulice pairing!  Cruelty to Kenji and Yugo, and a bit to Uriko!  You stand warned!

And now … Enjoy!

*   *   *

**Chapter 1: There's Trouble Afoot**

                It was a cool autumn night; the breeze was crisp and a bit stiff, tugging the crackling, dying leaves off of the trees up and down the neighborhood street and swirling them in dry circles along the pavement.  Wind chimes sang and wood creaked.  What clouds there were hung low in the sky, but the moon, a mere sliver, barely lit their edges bright enough to see; shadows danced on the edge of light like ethereal ghosts.

                _It's the things you never see that kill you_

                Three shadows did not move as the others.  Their dance was far more … deadly.  Invisible.  Soundless.  They sought something … or maybe, someone …

                They did not find their quarry that night; they met opposition.  Silent battles were fought in the faintest of moonlight, one versus the three.  The wind hid the faint squeal of a creature in pain and the thud of bodies striking the ground.  Like light rain the combatants took to the rooftops and dashed across them; blows were again exchanged.  The three were tiring; the one was wounded.  The sky drew black as dawn hovered just beyond the horizon.  Hasty retreats were made as shadow's foe warned of its approach.

                "We will have the cat!" they hissed as they ran, beaten severely.

                The one was victorious.

*   *   *

                "Kenji!  Over here!"  Uriko Nonomura, 15-year-old student at Hiryuu High School, waved madly from where she was sitting for lunch, patting the bench next to her with her free hand.  "Come on, sit!"

                Kenji Oogami, 16-year-old student of the same school, summoned a smile for the girl and waved back, his own arm pressed gently against his side.  "Coming …" he said slowly, hoisting his backpack with the slightest wince.  In just a few moments he was seated next to her and opening his bag lunch.

                Uriko immediately began to chatter away as she was wont to do, and Kenji began to mostly tune her out as he usually did, looking at the table and eating, nodding once in a while, and stealing glances at the girl next to him.

                Kenji liked Uriko.  He'd liked Uriko since the first time they'd met, back when the Zoanthrope Liberation Front was busy experimenting away on the very species it claimed to protect.  Granted, he found her habit of speaking loudly and without ceasing rather annoying, but it was worth putting up with because of her bright personality, so different from his own.  He admired her strength and willpower.  On the other hand, what Uriko thought of Kenji was something that occasionally nagged at the young man.  But was that really any of his business?  She liked him enough to ask him to sit with her at lunch, and that was enough for now.

                Normally as he sat next to Uriko, ate his mayonnaise and ham sandwich, and tuned her out, he thought about Uriko.  Occasionally he thought about school.  But today …  
                "Ne, Kenji?  Wasn't that awesome?"  Uriko elbowed him gently, seeking a response from the silent youth.

                Kenji had no idea what she was talking about, but he nodded his agreement anyway, fighting to keep the wince of pain off his face.  "Yeah, awesome."

                Today he was thinking about the night before.

                It had been nearly a year since the ZLF's fall and Kenji's bout of time as the assassin Bakuryu, brainwashed subject of the crazed scientist Busuzima; Yugo-nii-san had taken Kenji back into his home after the month-long ordeal, asking no questions, but he'd also begun leading the cause of zoanthropes in the free world – in between boxing matches, of course.  Kenji stood in proud support of his brother … but his own past troubled him.

                When he'd come back to himself standing over the beaten body of his brother Yugo, the memories of Bakuryu hadn't left; Kenji recalled every body he'd left behind, every drop of blood staining the claws of his altered form, and he shuddered at the thought.  He had nightmares about them.

                But he'd also retained all the things he'd learned about Xien Long's organization …

                And he was certain that it wasn't as obliterated as it appeared to be.

                Last night stood as proof.  
                Kenji had an extraordinary sense of smell – some sort of side effect of being a mole zoanthrope, not unlike Yugo's unusual taste for red meat and Uriko's ability to charm as only a cat could – okay, well maybe that last didn't really apply.  In any case, Kenji had woken up in the middle of the night, knowing only that something smelled … off.  Familiar.

                Kenji had known the Kato Ryuu Ninjitsu for as long as he could remember (which really wasn't saying much; he couldn't recall much of anything before the age of nine), and although his ninja outfit reminded him of that horrible time and the Name That Was Not His Name, it was the best outfit for midnight excursions.  Since Yugo was off on yet another business trip – the unfortunate result of being the leading spokesperson for the zoanthrope cause – he'd changed into it, not bothering to notify anyone, and climbed out the window and onto the roof, where he waited … waited for what smelled so familiar and more … deadly.

                They came.

                Kenji could smell them before he could see them; they smelled bloody and excited, letting off the very unique scent of adrenaline, and it was only a matter of seconds before Kenji had engaged the first of three warriors – ninja like himself, but not of the same school.  They moved like deadly shadows, but Kenji had a few stealthy techniques of his own, and the battle raged silent and rough.

Unfortunately, the odds were stacked against the younger ninja, and he'd been forced to his transformation.  What he'd hoped would be a short dispatch became an hour … two … he was wounded and he needed this to be over, but even though he laid into them with his claws, he held back.  He would not kill them … he would not.  He'd had enough killing for many, many lifetimes.

And they still did not back off, until the sun threatened the horizon.  Their advantage of poor light was lost, and they fled.

But their last words chilled Kenji to the bone.  "We will have the cat!"

… they confirmed his very worst fears.

                "Kenji!  The lunch bell rang!"  Uriko was shaking his shoulder, worry etched into her childish features.  "You were daydreaming again … come on, class is starting.  We don't want to be late."

                Kenji stood with a slow wince, his lunch completely forgotten.  "Yeah … thanks, Uriko-san."

                "Nuh-uh.  'Chan' – Uriko-_chan_! I keep telling you!" Whatever her preferred suffix, she steered Kenji towards the classroom doors.  "Now we're late, and it's all your fault."

                _Class?__  Who needs class?  The core of the ZLF is alive and well and wants to take you and we're going to class?_

_                … I wish Yugo was here right now._

                "Are you listening to me, Kenji?"  Kenji suddenly focused again; Uriko's face had resumed its worried frown.  "You keep spacing out …"  she reached out to hug him or support him, he didn't know.

                Kenji jumped back instinctively, cradling his wounded side and exclaiming, "Don't!"

                Uriko stared at him.  "Kenji?"

                "…" Kenji looked at the ground, ashamed by his reaction.  He just didn't … he didn't want Uriko to know he was hurt, because then she'd worry … _just like she is now._  "It's nothing, Uriko, just a little preoccupied …" He put his arm around her hesitantly so she came into contact with his good side, hoping to placate that rejected look in her eyes.  "… Thank you for worrying about me."

                She blushed, which, Kenji thought, was a rather extreme reaction to having one's arm wrapped around you.  "L-let's go to class!" she squeaked, zooming off into the building.

                "… She's weird …" Kenji muttered to himself as he picked up his backpack and shuffled inside.

*   *   *

                "What do you mean, a mole attacked you?"

                The ninja, who was having the deep slashes on his chest  and arms dressed and bandaged, bowed his head to his master and flinched at the movement.  "Exactly what I said, sir … it was a mole zoanthrope.  He fought like the devil before he even transformed … very skilled in ninjitsu, sir."

                The master had turned away, but at these last words he spun about sharply.  "Ninjitsu?"

                "Yes, sir …" the ninja trailed off, completely bewildered.

                "…" the master said nothing for a long moment, brooding, his chin in his hand.  "Bakuryu …" he muttered.  "He fights on …"  He looked up.  "You say you wounded him?"

                "Kenkatsu managed swipe him with his bugnuks, and it wasn't like we were completely defeated," the ninja replied, affronted.  "Master, we nearly brought him down once, but then he transformed."

                "Hmmm …" the master didn't seem too impressed, but neither did he seem disappointed.  "So, the mole has shown his face again," he muttered.  "Perhaps it's time I made a visit to the Oogami residence …"

                He cackled evilly, causing the ninja before him to give him a bewildered look.  "Master … you never cackle …"

                "I just felt I ought to do so," the Master replied with an amused, cruel smile.  "For you see … someone has to laugh at young Bakuryu's foolishness …"

*   *   *

-nii-san:  A Japanese suffix meaning 'older brother'.

-san: A polite way of referring to an acquaintance or a classmate, male or female.

-chan: A suffix indicating far more intimacy than '-san', '-chan' comes off meaning, more or less, 'cute'.  Uriko wants Kenji to call her that because she considers them good friends.  Similarly, she doesn't use any suffix on Kenji's name, which implies a deep relationship indeed.

Author's notes: … okay, forgive my weirdo sense of humor.  I swear I won't put too many corny lines in there … and I know this isn't a Japanese comic book or anything, so maybe I shouldn't use all the suffixes, but seeing as Kenji and Uriko are both attending a Japanese school at the end of BRII, I thought it only appropriate they use the same mannerisms.

… can you guess who the master guy is?  *cackles evilly*  … of course you can, it's pretty obvious.  And if you're not sure, you'll know by the time the next chapter is finished.  *sniff* Poor Kenji, getting hurt defending Uriko … won't be the last time, folks!  I am not known for being nice to my cute little boys.

Well, um … enjoy … please review …

Oh!  Next chapter: Kenji and Uriko suffer through a class, Kenji goes home to a not-so-pleasant situation, and Uriko worries over everyone's favorite ninja while evil is plotted behind the scenes.

Reviews are very good!  Encourage me to write more!

~~Vikki


	2. Hell is Only Ever Three Steps Away

**Chapter 2: Hell is Only Ever Three Steps Away**

                Uriko Nonomura considered herself a pretty smart girl.  She did well in all her classes (although she didn't care for … disliked … all right, _loathed_ math), learned quickly, and read often.

                But she couldn't figure out Kenji Oogami for the life of her.

                Because of how the desks were usually arranged, Uriko found herself sitting directly behind Kenji in almost all their shared classes, staring at his thick black hair with the odd little cowlick as he hunched over his desk, fiddling with his pen.  She stared at his back blankly and did the same, resting her chin in her hands and putting her elbow on the desk, while the teacher droned on about some historical event that bored the daylights out of her.  Meanwhile, her mind turned to more … immediate problems.

                Kenji Oogami.  A year ago he'd been so badly brainwashed he wouldn't respond to his own name.  She'd unfortunately come across him as 'Bakuryu', and she'd been sorely beaten.  She'd been so mad … but there was something about him that had seemed so terribly sad …

                Her master had helped her get bandaged up, and it wasn't long after that when she'd come scampering towards Busuzima's labs, intent on kicking (and scratching) the mad scientist into the ground, when the ground shook and the building began to crumble … and out strode a young ninja, a slightly older boxer, and an old military man on their shoulders, declaring the labs and Xien Long's whole operation destroyed.

                That was the first time she'd properly met Kenji.  He was pale, sweating, soft-spoken, and adorably shy.  Could she really have resisted his boyish charm?  Or lack thereof?

                But since that time … he'd become an enigma.  Maybe that was because he was so shy half the time … but then he'd suddenly say something that was unbelievably sweet.  Or insightful.  Or occasionally, completely off the wall.  And then he'd lose interest in the conversation altogether, drifting off into his own quiet little world.  He spent a lot of time thinking, from what she could tell – after all, he didn't pay too much attention to her during lunch, although he'd politely nod his head while staring intently at the table top.  Uriko didn't mind … the first time she'd noticed he wasn't paying attention, she'd stopped talking, embarrassed, and Kenji had abruptly said, "Don't stop … I like your voice.  It's melodic."  He had then returned to eating his sandwich as if he _hadn't _ just said the sweetest compliment Uriko'd ever heard from someone other than her mother.  Besides, he usually paid attention when it was important.  _Usually_ being the key word …

                Uriko was willing to accept that Kenji, with over ten years of ninjitsu practice under his belt, was more perceptive than herself, and sometimes he did see things that she didn't notice … but when he'd suddenly look over her shoulder and stare, intently, at what appeared to be nothing while she was still talking to him – not chattering, actually _talking_ – it was a little unnerving and a lot frustrating.

                Such were the hazards of befriending a slightly paranoid ninja …

                Because as far as she could tell, that's what he was.  Slightly paranoid.  But who could blame him, after the personal hell he'd been through just a year before?

                "Nonomura-san?"

                Uriko jumped slightly at the teacher's voice and got to her feet, red-faced with embarrassment at the knowledge she was about to be caught daydreaming.  "Yes, sensei?"

                Her teacher raised an eyebrow and smiled at her.  "Class is over, Nonomura-san.  Don't you want to go home?"

                Uriko jumped again, realizing the classroom was empty. "Uwah!  I can't believe I completely missed the bell!" she snatched up her books and her backpack and hurried towards the door, vaulting the last row of desks.

                "Don't forget to read chapter six!" her teacher called after her.

*   *   *

                "Kenji, why didn't you tell me the bell had rung?"  
                "… I thought you were right behind me."

                _That's just a lie_, Uriko thought to herself, frustrated.  But she was pretty sure she wouldn't get a straight answer out of him – it was just one of those things Kenji did once in a while, without explanation or reason.  She'd learned to let go of such things.  "Why don't you come over this afternoon?  We can study for the science test, and you wouldn't have to be alone in your house.  Don't you miss your brother?"

                There was a short pause before Kenji put his hands in his pockets and sighed.  "All the time.  But I couldn't go with him this time because of school.  I hope he does all right with his speech."

                "He'll do fine," Uriko said encouragingly.  She felt a wide smile spread over her face.  "He'll put his confidence as a boxer into his words!"

                She watched with satisfaction as a small smile flickered on Kenji's face.  "Yeah …" he said quietly, his gaze losing focus.

                "So, about my offer?" Uriko asked before he could drift off.  "Will you come over?"

                Kenji glanced at her.  "I need to go home to get my books, but I'd love to come over."  He paused.  "Is Alice-san—"

                "I keep telling you, she _likes_ you, Kenji!" Uriko giggled and put her hands on her hips, pretending to be affronted.

                "She smells wary," Kenji muttered.

                Uriko was used to Kenji making statements about how people smelled by now; he was, after all, a mole.  She herself had terrific night vision, even though she was only a half-beast when she transformed thanks to the Tylon Corporation.  "Well, it doesn't matter, she's at the clinic today.  Anyway … can I expect you to come by soon?"

                "Twenty minutes," Kenji promised, but he broke the words off, focusing sharply on a tree and suddenly standing still.  "… Uriko-san?"

                Uriko sensed that this wasn't the time to protest the suffix.  "What?" she asked, glancing at the tree before looking back at Kenji.

                He was silent for a moment more … and then he was suddenly back to normal.  "Be careful, Uriko-san."

                She half-expected that Kenji's paranoia was talking.  "I will," she promised, the same way she always did when Kenji warned her to be careful.

                But Kenji grabbed her arm sharply, his gaze suddenly piercingly sharp.  "I'm serious, Uriko!"

                Uriko stared into his intense eyes and found she could only nod.  "I … I will," she whispered more emphatically.

                Kenji nodded once, curtly, and relaxed.  "I'll be over as soon as I can," he promised before running towards his house.

                Uriko shook her head slowly and headed for her home, smiling, but she found herself glancing at the shadows more often than she ever had before.

*   *   *

                Something was wrong.

                Kenji sprinted home, but as he put his hand on the doorknob to step in, he thought he sensed another zoanthrope – that sixth sense that all zoanthropes had for one another was definitely bothering him.

Yugo wasn't supposed to be home for another couple of days.

Who could be inside?

Slowly, painstakingly, Kenji unlocked the door of his house and turned the knob, his ear pressed to the door.  He heard nothing …

The blood scent hit him like a wave, and for a horrified moment Kenji was certain his brother had come home and been murdered, but he didn't smell Yugo, so … he relaxed slightly – very slightly – and slinked through the doorway, pressing himself against the wall.

"So, Bakuryu … amusing yourself by protecting the half-beast?"

Kenji's heart immediately set a record pace within his chest as a man whom he'd hoped he'd never see again stepped out of the dining room.

"Xien Long …" he whispered, a hundred bad memories flooding him.

_I have completed your task, master; what do you wish of me?_

"So you remember all that, Bakuryu?" Xien Long seemed quietly impressed, and he raised his eyebrows slightly.

"Don't call me that," Kenji hissed, forcing his body to relax as he took up a loose fighting posture.  "My name is Kenji Oogami!  What do you want?"

Xien Long ignored him, fingering the lapel of his old-style Chinese clothes.  His serene face was the picture of Xin Long's, but the bloody smell about him was unmistakable.  "Are you enjoying your newfound life?  You seem awfully close to the half-beast …"

"Uriko!" Kenji choked out.  "Our names aren't that hard to remember, you bastard!  Get out of my house!"

"Oh, you don't want me to leave just like that," the Chinese clone said coolly.  "We have things to discuss!"

Kenji's mind was whirling; first and foremost on his thoughts was Uriko.  What was happening at the Nonomura household?  Was Uriko being attacked, too?  But for the discipline of Kato Ryuu, Kenji's thoughts would have been nothing but a jumbled mess of terror.

He took a slow, deep breath, struggling to maintain his calm.  "I have nothing to discuss with you.  Get out of my house, Xien Long."

If Xien Long was having fun, he hid it well as he shook his head, the slightest smile flickering on his face.  "It's all right, Bakuryu … I have no interest in _you_ at this time.  Although it has come to my attention that you were a significant … _difficulty_ for my employees last night."

"It _was_ you, then!" Kenji snapped.  "What do you want with Uriko!?"

"Now you want to talk?  Make up your mind," Xien smirked.  With a sudden movement, he crossed the distance between Kenji and himself and pressed his hand against Kenji's side – his wounded side – grabbing it and rubbing his fingers against it.  "So, it _was_ you," he said in mockery as Kenji gasped and trembled with pain.  "Been roof-hopping these last few nights, mole?  I can't have that …" His fingers dove for Kenji's throat, to jab him there sharply enough to make Kenji gag.

Startled, pained, and caught off-guard, Kenji did the first thing he could think of – the Enmaku Dan, a move so swift that he appeared to teleport from one side of his opponent to the other, leaving a shower of illusionary leaves and a log in his wake.  He lashed out, kicking at Xien Long's back and forcing him to stumble away several paces.  "You touch her, I'll—" Kenji began – but he wasn't exactly sure what he'd do.  He was at a disadvantage with his wounded side, and Xien Long was a formidable opponent even when Kenji was in optimum health.

"You're too late, anyway," Xien Long said, turning and taking up his own relaxed fighting pose as if Kenji hadn't kicked him at all.  "I sent a few of my employees to her home … her style is still incomplete, despite my … _brother's_ teaching.  She won't last long."

Kenji felt a stinging sensation pinprick his eyes, and he wasn't entirely sure why he was driven as far as to tears at the thought of Uriko being taken.  He was almost as upset as he was furious.  "Why!?" he demanded, his voice wavering in a disturbing way.

"…" Xien considered Kenji for a long moment.  "Think about for just a little while … Bakuryu."  He attacked.

Kenji fought through the fog that represented his thoughts and managed another Enmaku Dan, putting him directly in front of the door again.  He yanked the door open and leapt towards the roof, every breath wracking his abused side.

Xien Long could wait; his hint was yet another terrifying confirmation.

Busuzima liked his experiments, but Xien Long liked his subjects.  And if Uriko fell into Xien's hands … she would be brainwashed into a killing machine, just like Bakuryu.

"Do you think you'll escape that easily?" called that awful voice from behind him.

Kenji closed his eyes for an instant, taxing himself to the limit as he ran across the roofs and jumped between them.

He had to get to Uriko … he just hoped he wasn't merely bringing more trouble along with him.

*   *   *

sensei – 'teacher'

Nonomura-san – translates sort of as 'Miss Nonomura'.  Appropriate way to speak to a colleague or an acquaintance.

Author's Notes:  … I am very mean to Kenji.  Bah.  Deal.  *smirk*

Okay, don't hit me over the head for the way that Uriko thinks about Kenji.  Kenji is a wary kid in this story; is it any sort of surprise he seems a little paranoid to a carefree girl like Uriko?  Now mind you, she took his warning very seriously, as you will see in the next chapter … and good thing, too!  *evil cackle*

I don't know what Xien Long is like, but I think of him as excessively evil.  I meant for he and Kenji to have a really cool fight scene in this chapter, but I personally think Kenji's too clever for that when Uriko's at stake.  When they do fight … the prognosis isn't good for Kenji.  *sighs* Don't worry, though, Kenji'll get his chance to whip Xien's sorry butt!

*proud of herself*  Kenji only swore once!  I kept expecting bad words to pop out of his mouth … but it turned out okay.

Um … feedback is Good.

Oh – next chapter—

Uriko comes home to a mess not unlike Kenji's.  Kenji gets to her house, but he might be too late – and who is that, coming in the thick of the battle?  Wait and see …

Reviews, please!  =D

~~Vikki


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